DENVER (AP) So about that swipe P.K. Subban took at the speedy forward causing Nashville so much grief.”Playoff hockey Jonathan Marchessault Jersey ,” the Predators defenseman said a day after clocking Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon in the side of the head with his right glove. Once untangled, both were sent to the penalty box for holding during Colorado’s 5-3 win Monday.”Do it again next game,” Subban said .This series definitely took a step toward the chippy side as the top-seeded Predators lead 2-1 heading into Game 4 in Denver on Wednesday.”We’re just getting to know each other, right?” Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. ”It’s the playoffs. It’s always like that. It’s fun. They’re an experienced team that went to the final last season, and they know what to do to draw penalties. Sometimes after the whistle.”On a play in the second period Monday, Mackinnon was skating along the boards when Subban poked at the puck with his stick in his left hand and then delivered a blow with his right. Subban tossed MacKinnon to the ice as teammates rushed in. Subban was booed by the raucous crowd the rest of the night.”I just try to play hard,” Subban said. ”I don’t really hear it anymore. It’s happened so much over my career. Just try to go out there and do my job, be an impactful player when I’m on the ice.”Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog understands the heightened emotions this time of year. Even more so since the Avalanche haven’t been in postseason position since 2014.”There’s a lot on the line,” Landeskog said. ”If you’re not emotionally involved, it would be weird. You leave everything on the ice. That’s what we did. I’m sure they feel the same way on the other side.”Subban relishes the physical nature of a series – and perhaps getting under the skin of an opposing forward or two.”It’s easy to get into it when you know you’re going to hit somebody Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey , when you know you have to finish all your checks,” Subban said. ”Next game should be another physical one.”So far, Colorado has scored the game’s first goal in each contest. What’s more, the Avs hold a 5-0 advantage in first-period scoring during the series.That’s partly why Nashville went through a frenzied practice Tuesday, complete with some light checking.”Today, there was a message behind it and some passion in our practice,” defenseman Ryan Ellis said. ”It was great to see. Not only competing but making plays. We need that to translate into the game.”Goaltender Pekka Rinne was sharp as well, turning back just about everything thrown at him during practice. That hasn’t been the case in a series where he’s given up 10 scores and has a 4.17 goals-against average. Rinne was taken out Monday with Colorado leading 4-0 after MacKinnon’s second goal of the game at 4:25 of the second period.”For sure, yesterday was a disappointing night for all of us,” Rinne said. ”We need to bounce back.”Nashville coach Peter Laviolette isn’t that concerned with the psyche of his elite goaltender – or that of his team Nate Schmidt Jersey , which advanced to the Stanley Cup Final a season ago before losing to Pittsburgh.”If we could’ve played at noon, they’d all want to play right away,” Laviolette said. ”That’s the nature of competitive people.”And that’s why Landeskog thinks the Avalanche will see a revamped Rinne on Wednesday.”He’s a real good goaltender and made it tough on us all series long really,” Landeskog said. ”I’m sure he’s going to want to come back and have a good game.”NOTES: Colorado D Samuel Girard practiced Tuesday while wearing a non-contact jersey. He’s day-to-day, coach Jared Bednar said.— DENVER (AP) — For a brief moment, the Minnesota Wild lost track of the super speedy Nathan MacKinnon.That’s all it took. MacKinnon had a tap-in goal off a nifty pass from Mikko Rantanen to give Colorado the lead, Semyon Varlamov stopped 20 shots and the Avalanche beat the Wild 4-1 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.“His vision is awesome,” MacKinnon said of his linemate. “I just drove the net and Mikko made a great play.”Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk didn’t have much of a chance on MacKinnon’s second-period goal that gave Colorado a 2-1 advantage. Rantanen skated down the left side and sent a pass through a sea of sticks to MacKinnon, who tapped it in before Dubnyk had a chance to fully turn his head.“He was in a good place and he made a good play,” Dubnky said.Wild coach Bruce Boudreau offered another explanation.“It’s MacKinnon. He’s going to get a lot of goals like that http://www.goldenknightsshoponline.com/authentic-oscar-dansk-jersey ,” Boudreau said.MacKinnon picked up right where he left off from last season, when he tallied 39 goals and 58 assists on his way to finishing second in the Hart Trophy vote. He led the team in shots Thursday with eight. Carl Soderberg scored, while Rantanen and J.T. Compher added empty-net goals for the Avalanche, who moved to 15-5-3 in home openers since moving to town from Quebec.Varlamov returned to net after missing the playoffs last season with a knee injury he suffered late in the regular season. He made his eighth opening-night start in a burgundy-and-blue sweater, surpassing Patrick Roy for the most by an Avalanche goaltender. This also was Varlamov’s 400th career NHL game.“He’s grown so much as a goalie,” MacKinnon said. “His mindset is he can play a low-shot game and stay sharp, and he was great.”Colorado thought it had a two-goal lead when Colin Wilson scored 1:36 into the third after knocking in a puck out of the air. The goal was reviewed and disallowed after it was determined Wilson’s left glove batted the puck in.No matter, Varlamov protected things with save after save. None bigger than stopping an Eric Staal wrist shot with his right shoulder on a 2-on-1 with just under 5 minutes remaining.Rantanen added an empty-net goal with 1:53 remaining and Compher another in the waning seconds to seal the victory.Colorado outshot the Wild 40-21. Zach Parise gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead on a backhand pass from Mikko Koivu early in the first period. Parise missed the opening 39 games a season ago due to a back ailment that required surgery. After steadily working his way back into form, Parise suffered a broken sternum in the playoffs.Minnesota is coming off a season in which it posted 101 points before losing to Winnipeg in the first round of the playoffs.“There was some sloppiness that’s not going to be seen in game 20,” Boudreau said. “Pucks bouncing over the sticks and over-skating the puck and things of that nature. … I think they did know how quick the pace was going to be Authentic Oscar Lindberg Jersey , faster than the preseason, but took us a while to get up to it.”As for the Avalanche, general manager Joe Sakic has modest goals this season after his team returned to the postseason for the first time since 2013-14. Their average age this season is 26.3. They ended last season at 25.8.“Our goal is to make the playoffs, but the most important thing for us is to see the growth of this group,” Sakic said. “We’re excited to see who makes that next jump.”NOTES: Wild F Marcus Foligno was tripped by D Tyson Barrie late in the second period. Foligno went to the bench favoring his left leg but returned a few minutes later. … F Vladislav Kamenev (lower body) and D Anton Lindholm (upper body) were taken off injured reserve and reassigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. … Avs F Sheldon Dries made his NHL debut. He had two shots. … Soderberg also had an assist.UP NEXT:Minnesota: Starts a three-game homestand Saturday against Las Vegas.Colorado: Hosts Philadelphia on Saturday.